(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA, Wis. — It was cold, it was drizzling, and it was nearly 11 p.m. on a Wednesday night. But that didn’t stop nearly 90 video game enthusiasts from lining up outside Kenosha’s Best Buy to get their hands on the new Nintendo Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, one of the most beloved video games of all time. Kenosha County Eye was there, not just to cover the excitement, but because we wanted a copy of the game ourselves.
(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
My 16-year-old son and I arrived around 10:45 p.m., just 15 minutes before the nationwide release. The game was scheduled to become available at midnight Eastern, 11 p.m. Central, 10 p.m. Mountain, and 9 p.m. Pacific. By the time we arrived, approximately 65 people were already waiting in line, and another 20 or so would join us before the night was over.
(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Among those waiting was 28-year-old Sam, of Bristol, who came with his friend Steven, 32, of Gurnee, Illinois. Sam wasn’t just wearing a Zelda T-shirt or hat. He showed up dressed head to toe as Link, the legendary hero of the franchise, complete with his iconic green outfit, Hylian Shield, Master Sword, a fairy in a jar, and a satchel containing Deku nuts and other accessories inspired by the game. He even brought Navi, Link’s famously talkative fairy companion.
Steven showed his own appreciation for the franchise by sporting a Triforce stocking cap. The two friends were among dozens of fans who weren’t about to let a little Wisconsin November weather keep them from enjoying a night they had been looking forward to.
Although Sam is only 28, younger than many of the people waiting in line, his knowledge of the Zelda franchise was impressive. He knew plenty about the older games, including titles released before he was even born. His enthusiasm for Ocarina of Time went far beyond simply playing the game. In fact, his love for Zelda inspired him to learn how to play an actual ocarina, the wind instrument that plays such an important role in the game’s story.
Sam even treated Kenosha County Eye to a performance on his ocarina while everyone waited outside the store. You can watch his performance in the video below:
The original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998, nearly 28 years ago. For many of the people standing outside Best Buy Wednesday night, the game represented more than just another video game. It was a piece of their childhood, a reminder of simpler times, and an opportunity to experience something they loved all over again.
The crowd was remarkably diverse. There were men, women, teenagers, parents, and longtime gamers ranging from about 16 years old to people in their 50s. Some had grown up playing the original Nintendo Entertainment System, while others discovered the franchise decades later. But for one night, they all had something in common.
(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
When the release began, Best Buy employees allowed customers inside in small groups of two or three at a time. There were only a handful of special-edition Zelda Nintendo Switch 2 consoles and themed controllers available, and those had already been spoken for by the time we arrived. Still, the store had plenty of copies of the game, and employees worked their way through the line until everyone had been served by midnight.
As we waited, conversations naturally turned to Zelda, Nintendo, and the other video games that had brought us so much joy growing up. Strangers talked like old friends, sharing memories of the games they played as children, the challenges they remembered, and the excitement of introducing those same experiences to a new generation.
There was something particularly special about the fact that almost everyone in line wanted a physical copy of the game. We could have stayed home, purchased it digitally, and started playing without ever leaving the couch. We could have avoided the cold, the drizzle, and the wait altogether.
But that wasn’t really the point.
For many of us, there’s still something magical about holding a video game box in your hands, opening it, and placing the cartridge into your console for the first time. It’s something tangible, something you can put on a shelf, collect, treasure, and eventually pass down to your children.
And perhaps that’s what made Wednesday night so enjoyable. In a world where nearly everything can be downloaded instantly, dozens of people chose to stand outside in the cold together, just to experience a little bit of the excitement they remembered from their younger years.
(Cell Phone Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
By midnight, the line had disappeared, the customers had their games, and everyone was heading home with a smile. Some were undoubtedly planning to stay awake well into the early morning hours exploring Hyrule once again.
For my son and me, the evening was about more than getting our hands on a video game. It was about sharing an experience, talking with people who loved the same things we did, and making another memory together.
Nearly 28 years after Ocarina of Time first captured the imaginations of millions of gamers, its magic clearly hasn’t faded.
And judging by the smiles outside Best Buy Wednesday night, neither has the joy of being a kid at heart.
